Your child 5-7 years

Watching your child growing up, trying new activities, cheering them on at sports day and applauding them in school plays are some of the high points for most parents.

At this age, your child will be developing a strong sense of independence. They will be socialising mainly with children around their same age and building new relationships and friendships independent of their family. 

The following provides information about these new stages of your child’s development and some tips for what you can do to support your child. Your child may do some things earlier or later than suggested here.  

There is more detailed information about your child’s development in the eBook Every Child Age 4 to 7. This also has information about screen time, snacking and managing big emotions and feelings.

If you are worried about your child’s development ask your health visitor, GP or school.

Between 5 to 6 years your child may:

• write one or two letters in their name and recognise and sing along to the alphabet song
• be able to hold scissors properly and cut shapes from paper with them
• draw more recognisable pictures such as houses, cars, flowers and people
• be learning to swim or be able to ride a bike with or without stabilisers
• be able to hop, dance, skip, jump with both feet, climb, walk steadily on low walls or beams, catch a ball with their hands rather than their arms
• develop regular and close friendships, often with children of the same sex or who have the same interests as them. They may also feel a strong need to be accepted by their peers and feeling they are being ‘left out’ can upset them
• be able to write small words such as ‘dog’, ‘cat’, Mum’ and ‘Dad’ and recognise the difference between small and capital letters. It is normal for children of this age to write certain letters backwards
• remember stories and start to act them out with their toys or ask you to role play
• start to recognise rhymes in books and in songs
• eat more heartily as they burn more energy during full days in school without napping
• be tired and need more ‘quiet’ time to process their day; they may become more irritable for a while as they adjust to full days

Between 6 to 7 years your child may:

• be able to tie their shoes
• be able to count up to 100 and count a few numbers backwards
• be able to do some basic maths such as adding '1 apple plus 2 apples equals 3 apples' and will be able to tell when numbers are higher than other numbers
• be able to give their full name and know their age, birthday and where they live
• be able to start making up rhymes and enjoy simple jokes
• have an average vocabulary of over 5,000 words
• be able to read up to ten easy and familiar words, such as 'cat' and 'dog', and read some simple books. They may be able to copy short words and write some familiar words without help

Tips to encourage and support your child's development 

• Give your child lots of cuddles, attention and praise. A day at school can be tiring for your child and can lead to some grumpy behaviour. Encouraging quiet, calming activities after school may help. 
• Consider consequences if they are not behaving as you would like them to. Make sure you give your child lots of cuddles and attention when they are upset too. It is important that they understand that you are with them no matter what.
• Keep things the same as much as possible. It will help your child feel more secure if you have a routine. Try to have mealtimes, bath times and bedtimes at similar times each day. They will be introduced to so many new challenges and will take comfort in the safety of things they feel familiar with. Find a routine that works for your family.
• Try to model the behaviour you want to see more of. By watching how you behave, your child will learn about how to react in similar situations. You are your child’s role model. For example, be polite, kind, curious and respectful to your child.
• Talk to your child about their feelings. This helps them to understand and help to explain why they are feeling that way. It will also help them to better express themselves and will put words and meaning to these feelings.
• Tantrums, anger and frustration will still happen at this age. Your child is still developing and learning how to fit in. This is completely normal. 
• Show an interest in what your child has to say. This will let your child know they are important to you. Encourage them to talk by using open questions like “Tell me the best thing about your day?” Ask them to make up new endings to their favourite stories to help with their creative thinking.
• Speak some words in Welsh as this can give them the best start to a bilingual life. Cymraeg i Blant can help with words to use.
• Your child will be mixing and socialising more in school, they may need some support in making friends especially if your child is shy. 
• Play. Try to set aside some time for play as it is still very important at this age. Let your child choose how they want to spend this time and take the time to join in. This will give you the chance to enter their world and find out what they are thinking and feeling. There are ideas for play activities on Playful childhoods. It is also a good idea to help teach them about sharing. 
• Share a book. Your child will love this special time with you, and it can help them wind down before bedtime. Talk about what is happening in the story and in the pictures. You can ask for suitable age-appropriate books at your local library. There are ideas for songs and books on Words for Life.
• Try to make play time work for you when things get busy. Get them to help you with simple tasks like tidying up, putting away clothes, or laying the table; maybe do this to music or when singing. Getting them to help around the house will help them to feel grown up and can support positive behaviour. 
• Encourage your child to be more active by taking part in an activity they enjoy such as football or swimming. This will help them to keep healthy, to sleep better and to enjoy being active from a young age which will help them as they get older. 
• Avoid too much television and other devices like tablets or smart phones. These can be entertaining for your child but try to limit their use. Find the screen time balance that works for your child and your family.
• Your child will start to lose their baby teeth so it’s important to see a Dentist every 6 months and encourage a healthy brushing routine twice a day.

Most parents have times when they feel tested to their limits. Nobody is perfect. Everyone loses their cool occasionally and says things they are sorry for. It’s okay to say sorry to your child if you have been cross. Apologising to them helps them to see what they can do to make it right when they lose control of their emotions.

Do not smack or physically punish your child. This is illegal in Wales. Children need to feel safe and secure in their family and their home for them to be at their best.

It’s ok to ask for help. If you are worried about feeling stressed, low or depressed talk to your health visitor or GP. 

In addition, you may find these helplines useful:

• Community Advice and Listening Line (C.A.L.L.): call on 0800 132 737 (24 hour service). This is a confidential helpline which offers emotional support on mental health and related matters.
• Samaritans Cymru: call on 116 123 (confidential 24 hour service). You can get in touch about anything that’s troubling you, no matter how large or small the issue.